Oxidative Stress and the Nrf2 Anti-Oxidant Transcription Factor in Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of acquired and irreversible blindness among elderly Americans. Most AMD patients have the dry form of the disease (dAMD) for which reliable therapies are lacking. A major obstacle to the development of effective treatments is a deficit in our understanding of what triggers dAMD onset. This is particularly the case with respect to the events that cause retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells to transition from a state of health and homeostasis to one of dysfunction and atrophy. These cells provide critical support to the photoreceptors and their atrophy often precipitates photoreceptor death in dAMD. Chronic oxidative stress is a primary driver of age-dependent, RPE atrophy. Sources of this stress have been identified (e.g., cigarette smoke, photooxidized bisretinoids), but we still do not understand how these stressors damage RPE constituents or what age-dependent changes undermine the cytoprotective systems in the RPE. This review focuses on Nrf2, the master antioxidant transcription factor, and its role in the RPE during aging and dAMD onset.